When a shy girl from Figure Eight suddenly gets whisked into a dangerous treasure hunt involving four pogues known for their knack for trouble, she finds herself navigating not only the troubled waters of adventure but also the complexities of frien...
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The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows against the trees as the night settled thick around them. Sydney sat perched on a log beside Kiara and John B, the two girls looking painfully out of place in the woods in their Midsummers dresses. With a sigh, Sydney tore her gaze from the fire and glanced toward the water, where the boat they'd come in on rocked gently against the current. Her mind was still racing, replaying the moment she had just lived through, the moment she had done something she never thought she'd have the guts to do.
She had gone against her father. Not just in secret, not just in defiance behind closed doors, but publicly—bolting from midsummers in front of every judgmental Kook in town, ignoring his calls after her. And now, sitting here, cold with the adrenaline fading from her limbs, all she could think about was what came next. A hundred different scenarios ran through her head, each one worse than the last, because there was no version of tonight where she went home and things were fine.
Before the thought could sink its claws in too deep, JJ came striding back out of the woods where he'd gone to changed out of his Midsummers clothes, his usual worn-out t-shirt and cargo shorts back in place. But Sydney barely spared him a glance—because his words from earlier were still ringing in her head. Back in the G-game. It was the only thing keeping her distracted enough to shove her own problems to the side. So the second he sat down on the log beside Pope, she didn't waste any time.
"Not to sound rude or anything," she said, crossing her arms as she looked at John B, "But can you hurry up and tell us what this mandatory meeting is about?"
John B glanced at her before shifting his gaze to JJ, who sat across from him. With a lazy smirk, he raised his hands, forming finger guns, and JJ exhaled sharply, his shoulders rising in a slight shrug. "Might as well tell her, man, before we're gaffed," he muttered, his voice carrying a slight edge to it as he stared down at the fire, the glow flickering across his face.
Sydney, Kiara, and Pope exchanged immediate what the hell looks at that statement, but John B didn't acknowledge them just yet. Instead, he turned to the two girls beside him, his expression shifting into something more serious. "You ready for this?"
"Yeah," Kiara replied without hesitation, her brows furrowing slightly.
A smug grin took over John B's face as he leaned forward, his voice dripping with the kind of excitement that meant he was about to drop something big. "So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."
Pope groaned before John B could even get another word out. "Oh my God. Here we go again with this." He rolled his eyes, already prepared to shut down whatever delusional theory John B was about to launch into.
JJ, however, nudged him with an elbow "No. All right, wait, Here him out, alright?"
"Its been here the whole time," John B said, letting the words hang in the air for a second before adding, "It's on the island."
